George H.W. Bush: A life in pictures

George H.W. Bush

George H.W. Bush waves to a crowd of supporters on Nov. 5, 1988. Bush and his running mate, Dan Quayle, defeated Michael Dukakis in the presidential election. (Photo: Cynthia Johnson/Liaison)

George Herbert Walker Bush took the oath of office as the United States’ 41st president on Jan. 20, 1989, and was the oldest living former commander in chief. Before getting the keys to the White House, he served eight years as the vice president of Republican icon Ronald Reagan.

George H. W. Bush died at the age of 94 on Nov. 30, 2018.

Bush had one of the most impressive résumés in American public life. He joined the Navy at age 18 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, served as a member of the House of Representatives from Texas, was ambassador to the United Nations and later the senior American envoy to China at a time when there was no U.S. ambassador in Beijing, and he served almost a year as CIA director. After his failed 1980 presidential campaign, he became vice president in the administration of President Ronald Reagan.

Bush’s eldest son, George W. Bush, served as governor of Texas and became the 43rd president of the United States — the first father and son presidents since John and John Quincy Adams. His younger son, Jeb Bush, served as governor of Florida and mounted a presidential run in 2016 that fell short. (Olivier Knox/Yahoo News)